Healing You
by Rachel3003
Summary: "Don't worry, Elena, I'll keep you safe. He's not getting near you ever again." "Thank you, Damon." she nuzzles closer and he caresses her arm as her hearbeat slows in slumber. He watches her, tucked to his side and feels the beast inside him steer. "I swear I'll protect you, even if it means I have to kill my own brother." THE VAMPIRE DIARIES BELONG TO KEVIN WILLIAMSON/JULIE PLEC.
1. Save me

_**Hey, people! This is my first delena story –the crossover doesn't really count– so I would love if you guys told me what you think of it. If you are one of those people that just reviews to criticize please refrain of doing so. If you don't like, don't read, simple as that. However, I'm open to suggestions and I'll accept them with open arms. This was supposed to be a Oneshot, but i was already by the eighteenth page and not close to finishing, so i decided to split it and make it a story.**_

 _ **I would like to thank and dedicate this lil' fic to Deepwater1978, for her endless support and help. She's been very helpful and supportive and she deserves a big fat applause (I'm not kidding, applaud her). She's an awesome writer too, so if you're a delena shipper check her stories out.**_

 _ **I'll stop ranting now so you can start reading. Kisses!**_

* * *

 **Winter after Stefan comes back from his killing spree with Klaus.**

Damon takes his eyes from the road again to look at the girl lying on the back seat of his Camaro. She's wearing jeans and his black t-shirt, and although it's extremely big on her it can't hide the large bruises and cuts that cover her petite form. Her legs are the only part of her body that's unharmed. The skin on her arms is covered in cuts that thankfully have stopped bleeding. His shirt hides the deep bruises across her ribs, a couple bruised and a couple broken. And her face, the left half of it, it's a dark blue, almost purple in places and a sickly yellow at the edges.

He knows he'll be able to cure her once they get to their destination, but damn if it doesn't hurt to see her like this. Battered, broken.

He'd arrived home from the Grill after lunch with Alaric to hear yells and cries; pleads to stop and bellows of rage. He'd flashed into the house, up the stairs and into his brother's room only to find Stefan standing over a cowering Elena and the smell of her blood heavy in the air. He'd ran and shoved his brother to the side, his eyes taking in her state in one second before he was behind Stefan and his neck was broken in the following breath.

He had approached Elena, kneeling beside her. Her shirt had been lying in tatters on the floor and she had been holding her bra to her chest, even if it wouldn't be of much service anymore. She'd whispered his name, followed by a broken plea to help her. He had taken of his shirt and helped her into it before grabbing an empty duffle bag and filling it with her clothes. He had swung it over his back and proceeded to pic Elena up and cradle her to his bare chest.

He had raced to his car and sped off. And here he is, almost four… no, five hours later. Elena had passed out at some point in the first hour. He's a bit worried that she might have a concussion, but he's going to heal her the second they arrive at their destination, so he lets her sleep. This month had been unusually cold and he eyes the sky warily. Today it's completely gray, not a spec of blue. If it starts to snow before they arrive, they could be in serious trouble.

To his luck, it doesn't start to snow until he's already parking the Camaro in front of a little wooden house. He's happy he'd restocked the kitchen a week ago, planning to come here for a little ' _zen'_ retirement for the winter.

(Translation: grab a girl and have a wild week of booze, sex and more booze. Then erase her memory and continue with life.)

It's similar to Elena's house in Dunham Lake, only smaller. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open kitchen, and a cozy living room slash dining room with a fireplace.

He gets out of the car, leaving the key on so the air conditioning doesn't stop. Running to the door he gets the key out of it's hiding place under a tile of the porch and opening the door, he flashes to the fireplace. In a minute he has a nice fire and ads a couple of extra logs. He goes to the kitchen next and flicks all the switches of the control panel on, activating the electricity and the gas. The heating system starts right away. With a nod of satisfaction Damon goes outside, only to find Elena lying face down on the ground. There's already a thin layer of snow, so the front of her clothes are soaked and the back has tiny specks that are growing bigger by the moment. In a flash he picks her up and hurries to the house.

"D'mon?" she slurs. He shushes her.

"Dammit, Elena. What were you thinking? You should've stayed in the car."

"Couldn't… find you…" her head falls to his shoulder, making her moan when it just increases her already pounding headache.

"You'll be fine soon. I'll give you some of my blood and you'll be jumping all over the place in no time. But first we've got to get you out of those soaked clothes, if you get sick this is gonna be more difficult."

 ** _Little pause that contains a teeny tiny spoiler, it's not specific but if you haven't seen from season 6 to 8 and aren't comfortable with spoilers DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING INTERVENTION:_**

 **I don't really know if it's really like this, but I'm making that the vampire blood can't cure illness. I'm going from the fact that it can't cure cancer. But if it can, not in this story. My story, my rules XD.**

Damon opens the door and the interior is already toasty. He carries her to the fireplace and using his foot, he nudges a beanbag as close as possible to the fire before turning and seating her on the sofa. He disappears and is back again with the duffle bag in a second.

"Ok, lets get you out of those clothes." He opens the duffle and is pleased to find jeans and sweats, but his excitement decreases when he can only find short sleeved t-shirts. At least he got underwear and bras to last her a week. "You'll have to wear some of my shirts, I didn't get long sleeves." She just sways a bit and nods. "Don't move."

He's in his room, sorting through his shirts after having put on one himself when he hears her throwing up. He grabs one –gray with long sleeves– and runs down stairs. When he can't see her in the living room, he follows the sounds to the bathroom. He finds her bending over the toilet, her hands almost white from the forceful way she's grabbing it. Damon rushes to her and takes her hair, keeping it out of the way with one hand meanwhile he rubs her back with the other.

"I think you have a concussion, Elena. Are you sleepy?" she finally stops and he gives her a towel to clean her face. He then carries her to the sofa again and helps her change her clothes. He looks at her in the eyes, only to find that she has a far away look and… "Oh shit!" he grabs her face, careful of the bruise at the left side and forces her eyes open. She has the pupils of different size. "No good! Elena! Hey, are you with me?!" he snaps his fingers at her. She blinks and looks at him with a dazed look.

"D'mon? Wha're you doin' he…?" her head rolls back and he seizes it before she hurts her neck. Damon sits next to her and lays her across his lap, her head cradled in his elbow. He bites his wrist and presses it to her lips.

"C'mon, Elena. Drink!"

She finally swallows and Damon breathes a sigh of relive. He can already see her bruises healing and her cuts closing. He then curls Elena in the beanbag and covers her with two blankets. Now he just has to wait for her to wake up.

A second later he gets impatient and starts making dinner.


	2. Alone with you

The first think she notices when she wakes up is that there's no pain. The second is the delicious smell that hangs in the air. And the third is that she's hot. Very hot. She opens her eyes slowly and gazes into the mesmerizing dance of the fire for a couple of seconds before looking around. She's not in the boarding house, that's for sure. While the Salvatore residence is more rustic looking, this one is modern. Gray leather couch, 90-inch plasma TV and fireplace covered with black marble slabs. She's seated in a dark blue beanbag and she's wrapped in two white fleece blankets.

Elena looks at the windows and gasps. It's snowing! She pushes the blankets away and jumps to the window. It's then when she notices that she's wearing a shirt four or five sizes too big for her and her favorite sweats. What the –?

"You're awake! Thank God, I was getting worried, you know?"

Elena squeaks and turns around, pressing her back to the cold glass.

"Damon! Where are we? What are you doing here?" he gives her a deadpan look and raises an eyebrow. He drops the tablecloth he's carrying and spreads it on the glass dining table that's a little ways behind and to the right of the couch.

"First: we're in a cabin in the middle of Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania; and second: it's my cabin, I have all the right to be here." He opens a black cabinet and takes out two glasses, setting them one in front of the other. He goes back to the kitchen and Elena follows.

 **Hey! Another pause. I don't really know if in this forest is legal to have houses, I tried looking it up but it just kept saying something about resorts and all that shit. So… I'm saying that in this story, you can! Ok, bye!**

"Wait, Pennsylvania? What the hell are we doing in Pennsylvania?" he freezes and closes the fridge, leaving the bottle of water on the counter.

"What do you remember?" she blinks owlishly at him, making him sigh. "Before waking up here, what do you remember?"

Elena frowns. Before waking up? She'd been in the Salvatore Boarding House, she'd wanted to discuss with Stefan the things he'd said and done while his humanity was off and under the compulsion of Klaus. When he had said something derogatory of Damon, she'd told him how helpful and supportive and sweet Damon had been in the months he'd been gone. And then… and then he had…

Flashes of Stefan's face, the razor blade he'd used to cut her, his fists covered with her blood, his _smile_ …

Damon watches quietly as Elena starts to remember. Her eyes open wide and her hands fly to her mouth. Her breathing becomes shallow and her eyes get glassy. When her legs give out, he's ready to catch her. She's trembling and sweating all over. He listens and finds her heat going crazy inside her chest.

"Elena you have to calm down! Breathe! Breathe with me, c'mon!" he exaggerates his breathing, urging Elena to do de same. He starts massaging her back and shoulders, trying to relax her muscles.

"Damon I can't breathe! I'm gonna die! I don't want to die!" she clutches his shirt, trembling from the cold and then feeling hot again.

"You're not dying, Elena! You're having a panic attack, you have to relax and _breathe_!" **(Believe me, it's like that, I'm not exaggerating. Talking from experience here.)** She doesn't. She keeps shaking, sweating and her heartbeat keeps picking up speed. Tired, worried and lusting for his brother's blood in his hands, Damon finally has enough and taking her chin he makes her look at him. "Calm. Down." He tries to use his compulsion, even knowing she's using vervain. Elena's pupils dilate and contract. Her heartbeat slows, as well as her breathing. "You're not using vervain?" he asks once she's breathing normally, still practically tucked in his lap.

"Stefan took the necklace." And for the first time since he first saw her, Damon realized she wasn't wearing the necklace Stefan had given her to protect her from him. "You compelled me."

"You had to calm down. I didn't even know it would work, I thought you were using vervain. We'll have to get you something when we get back." Elena sucks in a breath and shakes her head.

"No… no, I don't wanna go back." She grips his shirt harder and Damon fears she's going to tear it up.

"We'll have to go back someday, Elena. We can't stay here forever." Damon explains, slightly amused.

He get's up and helps her to her feet before guiding her to her seat in the table. He flashes a few more times, bringing silverware, napkins and the bottle of water. He then comes walking with the food so it doesn't go flying around. When he puts it in front of her she sees chicken and mushrooms.

"What is it?"

"Chicken Marsala. It has… chicken, Marsala, mushrooms, butter, shallots, pecans and… a bunch of spices. I think you'll like it." With that, he sits with a huff and starts eating. She eyes him suspiciously and he sighs. "Elena, I didn't drug it, or poisoned it or put anything that might be dangerous to a human. Now, eat! You threw up everything you had in your stomach earlier." His eyes return to his meal and she can see her suspicions hurt him.

"It's not that. It's just that you're being very… you know… not _you_. It's weird." He stops eating and looks at her surprised.

"You want me to be my usual jerky self after what you've been through?" he asks incredulous.

Elena gazes at him for a few seconds before tucking her chin down and starts eating. He get's up to get a blood bag from the second fridge and alternates between eating the food and drinking the red fluid that allows him to continue living.

By the time they finish, Elena is yawning so Damon leads her to his bedroom. She's going to use it for the time they stay in the cabin, having the most confortable bed in the house while he takes the guestroom two doors down. It's the one the person he brings with him as a living blood bag uses, so the bed is more comfy than the others. Usually, that random person would've been here already but as he had wanted to come here alone –maybe with a woman– he had stocked on normal blood bags instead.

One final trip to bring her the duffle bag and once she's settled, Damon goes downstairs and turns on the TV, not ready to go to sleep yet. Opening Netflix with the Apple TV, he sets the volume on low. As he watches House be and inconsiderate jerk to the patient, his mind starts to wander. Why had Stefan attacked Elena? She hadn't told him anything when he asked during dinner so that lead Damon to think it had something to do about him. That, or Stefan had had a mental breakdown because Elena had said she didn't want to have sex.

It's not until four chapters later that he gives up and turns it all off. He set's the remote on the coffee table and goes to his room, only to remember it's currently occupied and turns to the guestroom. With a tired sigh he takes all of his clothes except his boxers and collapses on the bed. He groans and maneuvers himself under the covers. With a final moan he settles and hides a smile behind his hand. It feels so good to be a drama queen for a minute, even if no one is here to see you.


	3. Midnight ghosts, snow and Disney movies

Damon wakes with a start at the sound of frantic footsteps and a door banging open. A second later a weight deeps the bed and a body climbs above his. He opens his eyes to wild brown eyes and a sweaty face.

"Damon! There's something outside! Oh my _God_ , it's Stefan, he found us!" Elena's hands take hold of his shoulders and she starts shaking him so hard it's making him dizzy. "He's gonna kill me, Damon! He said he would kill me!"

Having enough of it, Damon grasps the sides of her face and compels her to relax and breathe. Once she's calm again, he set's the still trembling girl aside. She might be calm, but that doesn't mean she's not scared.

"Elena, Stefan can't be here." She just shakes her head.

"I saw him, Damon. He's here!"

"That's impossible, Elena! It's snowing and he doesn't even know I have a cabin! There's no way he's here. Besides, I would know it he was here." He tries to reassure her, rubbing her arms to stop her shivering. "Ok, I'll go look to see what's out there. Sounds good?" Elena looks down to his hands on her arms before nodding.

Damon holds a sigh. He get's out from under the covers and get's dressed, completely missing the way Elena's eyes rake down his back before it's hidden by his shirt. With a final huff, he goes downstairs and ties the trekking boot's he keeps in the house. You never know when the urge to go for a walk through the forest might strike.

Leaving the jacket, Damon opens the door and closes it fast behind him so the cold doesn't get inside. It's still snowing, but there's no wind so it's easy to see. He looks at his phone and groans. Two sixteen in the morning, definitely too early to be traipsing in the cold of the outside world. He should be inside, cuddled in the warmth of the heating system and the three blanket's he'd been using. The fact that the cold can't affect him doesn't mean he can't feel it.

He rounds the cabin, looking through the trees. Nothing. He walks a little into the forest, the snow giving under his feet so much that it almost reaches his ankles. He hears a twig snap at his right and crouching he's prepared for the attack that's coming, only to see a deer frozen mid step, big doe eyes filled with fear watching his every move. Smirking, Damon flashes a foot away from the doe.

"Boo!" with a screech the animal scrambles away and races into the woods. Doubling over, he cackles with laughter. He sighs and goes back to the house, where a trembling Elena waits for him. "I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?"

"The good news?" she sound uncertain and he grins.

"It was just a doe."

"And the bad news?"

"I think I've given the animal a heart attack." Elena just stares at him open-mouthed. "I'll take that as a thank you. Now, let's go back to bed, it's too early for this."

Once he's back in his room –the guestroom, not his real room– he drops all his clothes until he's just in boxers once again and crashes to the bed. He waits until the steady breathing that signals she's asleep to give in himself.

|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|

Damon bangs his head against the window, whining pitifully. His baby, his precious Camaro is buried under five feet of snow. Which means that they'll have to wait who knows how long for the snow to melt from the car _and_ the roads. And, if that wasn't enough, it was still snowing.

"You're going to break it." Elena's voice startles him out of his reverie of child-like brooding (aka. Pouting).

He's about to retort when he gets a good look at her. She's bundled on the couch, a fleece blanket draped over her shoulders and her knees tucked under her chin. She has a faraway look in her bloodshot eyes, staring unseeing at the fire. It's almost noon, and she hasn't moved from that spot since she seated after breakfast at nine am. Damon leaves the window and plops down beside her, his arms extended over the backrest.

"Wanna watch something?" Elena shrugs and Damon signs before curling an arm around her waist and drags her to his side, completely ignoring her protests. "Ok, I didn't think this would be necessary but…" Elena frowns at him and tries to pry his arm away. "I have a barrier of sorts, it tells me who is close within a one mile radius." Elena frowns at him, clearly not convinced. "A witch did it for me sixty years ago. It's not that difficult, ya know? Bonbon would be able to do it if she had the spell." Elena thinks it over and relaxes a little.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"So you can relax and enjoy your vacations away of mankind."

"Oh, ok." She taps his arm but it doesn't budge. "Let go!"

Damon smiles innocently and grabs the remote, burrowing dipper in the sofa and tightening his hold on her. As he searches on Netflix for something to watch, his fingers start to make random designs over her hip. Elena tries to free herself for another minute before giving up and settles to watch House with Damon.

"What's with you and this guy, anyway? The only times I've seen you watch TV is when you're watching House."

"It's funny, and the guy is a dick but is still the best." He snickers and Elena rolls her eyes at him.

They stay like that for a while longer, Elena's head on his shoulder and his hand caressing her hip. When Elena's stomach rumbles, Damon prepares a simple salad for her and he drinks two blood bags. Finally, they share a _Häagen Dazs_ while watching a Disney movie at Elena's request. Damon is chagrined to admit that he has already seen it and loves it.


	4. Bourbon and nightmares

"Elena," Damon's voice is low, predatory and she tries hard to hide her smile. "give it back." She presses herself more against the wall and shakes her head with a giggle. "Elena, you've had enough." She just bounces on her toes and dashes to the other side of the room, clearly taunting him to chase her.

They've been in the cabin for ten days and the snow clearly isn't giving up. Today, while he'd been cleaning the car from as much snow as possible, Elena had raided his stash of alcohol. She'd been punishing him for two days for not letting her go outside the house, and today she decided to drink as much as possible of his limited supply of bourbon. From his four bottles, only two remain. One's safely hidden away for emergencies, the other one loosely clasped between Elena's hands and the danger of it falling to the floor is imminent.

"Elena, please, that's the only one left!" he's not actually going to tell her there's another one. That one is going to stay hidden and safely away from her hands.

"Lemme go 'utside!" she sways a bit and the bottle slips a little before she tightens the hold again.

"Ok, ok! We'll go outside tomorrow! Just give me the booze!" she narrows her eyes and holds her pinkie, cradling the bourbon in her chest.

"Pinkie promise!" he bites his lip to control the chuckle. She's a childish drunk, huh? This is going to be fun.

He walks to her and curls his finger with hers. She giggles and when he let's go of her hand, she throws her arms around his neck. The bottle falls and Damon is able to catch it with one hand while he uses the other to stabilize Elena.

"Did you at least eat somethin'?" Elena shakes her head and hides her face in Damon's neck. "Great…"

Leaving the booze con the table, he scoops the girl up and walks to the bedroom. The last thing he wants is Elena throwing up all over him, which would happen if he just flashed to the room. Elena cuddles closer to him, burrowing her face to his neck and plastering her chest to his. He kicks the door open and adjusts his hold on her to pull the blankets aside. Slowly he puts her on the mattress, brushing her hair behind her ear and covering her body with the sheets.

After making sure she's comfortable, Damon goes back to the living room to clean up the mess Elena has made. He's just throwing the second bottle in the trash when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He takes it out and the screen flashes with _BARBIE_. He smirks, that was faster than he'd thought it would. He answers the call and cradles the phone between his shoulder and cheek. That he's talking to Blondie doesn't mean he has to stop cleaning.

"What's up, Barbie?"

"Damon, we need your help. Elena's missing." Caroline's breathless voice comes through the speaker.

"And what do you want me to do 'bout it? Ask Bonbon to make a tracking spell." He grins. That won't work, but they don't need to know _that_. Another perk of the barrier. No tracking spells.

"Already tried." This time is Bonnie's voice. She sounds as alarmed as Caroline. Maybe he should tell them Elena's ok… "It didn't work and she's not answering her phone either." That must be because it was still in the boarding house.

"Ask _Stefan_ to help." His voice drips with hate as he utters his brothers name.

"He is. Stefan says that they were–" he turns his attention away from Caroline when he hears a sob. He leaves the pot he's been filling on the table and starts up the stairs "– Damon! Are you even listening to me?!"

"No. Look, Blondie, Elena's safe. She's not answering because her phone is in the boarding house so Stefan is not as trustworthy as you think and–" he looses his voice as he takes in the sight in front of him.

Elena is still in the bed, but she's tossed the sheets aside. The shirt she's been wearing today lays in taters around her and she's only dressed in a pair of sweats and a black bra. She has scratches all over her upper body, some even oozing blood. Claw like marks crisscross her stomach and cleavage and red lines travel the length of her arms. She's tossing and turning and sweating buckets; her pants are plastered to her skin and if her bra were white, he would be able to see her breasts.

Not bothering to end the call, Damon tosses the phone on the nightstand and climbs on the bed. He shakes her, trying to wake her from the nightmare. Now that he's closer, he's able to see tear tracks traveling her cheeks. This is the fifth time she has a nightmare like this.

"Elena, wake up!" he shakes her again and pats her cheek. He can hear the he can hear the irritating voices of her friends screaming at him, demanding to know what's going on. "Wake up, dammit!"

Elena wakes up with a gasping cry. She starts trashing in his hold, clearly no aware of her surroundings. She's hyperventilating and her cries border on hysteria. He tries to hold her down, but it only makes it worst.

"Elena, calm down! It's me!" she grips his wrists and finally her eyes focus on him. Her face crumbles and she's instantly in his arms. "It's ok, you're safe here, Elena. It's gonna be alright."

"He-he was… a-and then he… and…oh God!" she clings to him, her arms around his neck and her face hidden in the crook of his shoulder. "Damon..." her whine shakes something deep in he's soul.

He's going to kill Stefan.


	5. Call from the Blonde

Damon presses his back to the headboard and settles Elena in his lap. She's crying into his chest and his shirt is soaked in her tears. Stefan is going to pay for this. He tries to reassure her. He strokes her hair, whispers that it's all going to be ok and cuddles her to his chest.

"My head hurts…" her whine is pitiful Damon shakes his head.

"That's what happens when you drink two bottles of bourbon without eating anything first." He brings his finger to his mouth and nicks it before moving it to her own. "Here…" She drinks the drops of blood gratefully and signs in relive when the pain goes away and the scratches disappear too.

It's when Elena is finally relaxed that he registers Caroline's voice.

"Damon I swear to God if you–" with a growl he pick up the phone and slams it to his ear.

"Shut the hell up, Blondie!"

"Why is she with you, Damon?!"

"I didn't kidnap her, if that's what you're thinking…"

"Put her on the phone, I don't trust you!" While he mentally strangles the blonde, fiscally he turns to the little human he has practically fused to his chest.

"Wanna talk to Caroline?" she looks hesitantly at the phone before looking him in the eyes.

"Is he…?" she whispers, not trusting her voice to stay steady. He frowns before understanding what she's asking.

"Is my brother there?"

"No, just us. The sheriff is in the living room. Why? Does she want us to–"

"Don't you dare call him!" the grown shocks the witch speechless. He makes sure they're doing what he says before turning to Elena. "Just Caroline and Bonnie. Liz is in the other room." She still looks concerned, but nods.

"Can we lay down?"

Damon raises a brow, but does as she wishes. When she's nestled to his side, her head above his slowly beating heart, she finally accepts the phone, only to put it on speaker and leave it on his chest. She clears her throat and tries to speak louder.

"Hi…" her voice is raspy and Damon reaches for the glass that's in the nightstand. She always keeps it there. He straightens them a little, the phone sliding to his stomach, and gives her the water before settling again and putting the phone and the glass where they were before. "Hi, guys." In her second try, her voice is more normal.

"Elena! Thank God you're ok! We were so worried and you wouldn't pick up the phone!"

"Sorry, Care. I don't know where it is." She looks at Damon for answers.

"It's in the boarding house. In the foyer." She nods and settles back again. He starts caressing her arm.

"So why did you call Damon? I thought you hated him." Damon grumbles something that sounds like 'I'm not that bad'. She nuzzles his chest with her cheek.

"Oh, I do. Believe me, I do. But we already exhausted all our other options and we were desperate. Tell us where you are and we'll come get you." She tenses up and Damon gives her a little squeeze. She doesn't have to go anywhere if she doesn't want to.

"Actually, I'm gonna stay here." There's a brief silence before all hell breaks loose.

"What?! Are you crazy, Elena?! Damon is dangerous! You can't be serious! Stefan is–"

"STEFAN CAN GO FUCK HIMSELF!"

Damon's eyes open wide at the outburst. He'd expected those words to come from himself, not the currently seething Elena. She's suspended on top of him, one arm at each side and glaring at the cellphone so fiercely that if looks could kill, the little device would explode into a million pieces.

"Elena…" he whispers to catch her attention. When he does and they eyes clash, brown vs. blue, he can see the tears fighting to escape. "easy. It's ok." He rises his arms and coaxes her to his chest again. He hugs her to his side and she buries her face in his neck. She grips his shirt in a white-knuckled hold and he caresses the fist to ease it. It doesn't work.

"E-Elena? A-are you o–"

"No, she's not ok!" he picks the phone and deactivates the speaker before pressing it to his ear. "Listen here, bitches. Elena is gonna stay with me for as long as she wants and you aren't gonna call again. If she wants to speak, she'll call. And you tell my brother I'm gonna rip his spine when I catch him, so he better start running." And with that he ends the call and tosses the device to the floor.

"I don't wanna go back yet…" she whispers.

"Then we won't. I'll have to go to the town to restock on food soon but you can stay here. We'll have to go back sooner or later, though."

"Later sounds better." He chuckles at her remark and squeezes her fist.

"Wanna go outside now?" she straightens instantly and beams at him. Operation Take Elena's Mind Of My Brother starts smoothly.

"Really?!"

"You have to dress warmly. Two shirts, two pairs of socks and one of my jackets. And gloves." Elena bounces on her seat.

"Thank you!" she jumps at him and gives him a sloppy kiss on the cheek before running to the closet and putting two of his shirts on –one a dark red and the other grey–. She then moves to the duffle and takes out the second pair of socks. When she's ready she turns at him and spreads her arms. "Ready!"

He tries to hold the smirk, but she's just too cute. His shirts dwarfs her, the hem reaching mid thigh and the sleeves almost three inches past her fingertips. They go down the stairs together and Damon passes her a The North Face coat. It's supposed to reach his mid thigh, so to her it's past her knees. After putting her boots, Damon grabs a scarf.

"No scarf." Damon narrows his eyes but shrugs and puts it on himself instead.

After donning on his boots, he puts on his trademark leather jacket and opens the door. Elena sprints ahead of him and stops just at the edge of the porch to take a deep breath. Damon chuckles and closes the door.

"Happy now?" he looks at her with a calculating gaze. She looks relaxed, the problems completely out of her mind; even if it wasn't even fifteen minutes ago that she had a nightmare about his brother.

"No, not yet." He raises a brow as she bends over and scoops a handful of snow and makes a ball. He's so enthralled by her smile that he fails to notice when it becomes malicious and the snowball is planted to his face a second later. "Now I am."

When Damon shakes the snow off his face, Elena is staring at him with a sweet smile on her face and an innocent look in her eyes. His eyes flash red for a second and she tenses up while her smile grows into a cheeky grin.

 _Ahh… so the little girl wants to play, huh?_

Looks like there's still quite a bit of alcohol in her system, and now that all the emotional crap is out of her head, she's ready to wreck havoc on the woods. Smirking, Damon lets the transformation take over. The white of his eyes turns red, black veins run down his cheeks and his fangs lengthen. He smiles wide enough to flash a fang and Elena takes a step back.

"Elena…" she looks him in the eyes and swallows before licking her lips. " _Run._ "

She turns and bolts.


	6. Run

Her boots crunch in the snow as she races past the trees. Under the heavy canopy of the forest the snow isn't too deep, so she can run easily. She can hear Damon running behind her, not using his vampire speed. At least not yet. She risks a glance at him, only to see he isn't there. When she returns her gaze to her front, she finds him twenty feet from her, a cocky smirk on his lips. Thinking fast, she makes a hard turn to her right and continues running, laughing at Damon's cursing.

"I'll catch you sooner or later, Elena! You're just making it more difficult on yourself!" his voice echoes around them and she just sprints ahead.

That is, until he sees a red X painted on a row of trees. He sprints for her and manages to catch her before she crosses the line of trees. He breathes hard and lets himself fall backwards, taking Elena with him. She shrieks as they fall. He lands on his ass, Elena landing on his lap and he keeps his left arm around her, using the right one to prop himself of the ground.

"Don't cross the trees with the X. Those mark the end of the barrier. Bon would be able to track you and they would find this place." He whispers huskily in her ear and she nods before turning sideways and cuddling to his chest.

"You're comfy…" her voice is slurry and he can tell she's half asleep. That was fast.

"Why, thank you…" he chuckles, totally amused by he childish behavior and looking forward to tease her about it later when she's better. "C'mon, let's get you inside." She hums and he rearranges her so he can carry her bridal style, before sprinting back to the cabin.

Just as he closes the door with his ass, his phone vibrates on his pocket. Grumbling under his breath, Damon rearranges Elena so he's holding her like a toddler before thrusting his hand in his pocket and taking out his cellphone. _LIZ_ flashes on the screen and he immediately responds.

"Liz, hey! What's up?"

"Hey, Damon, I just wanted to know how Elena was doing. The girls said she wanted to stay with you wherever you are and I didn't get a chance to talk to her. Do you think you could put her on for a second?" she sounds hopeful and he smiles. She's so motherly to Elena that he's unable to say no most of the times she asks for something. This one is no different, only…

"There might be a problem, Liz. You see, this little missy here decided to be cheeky and drink half my stash of bourbon. Did you know that–" he loses his voice when Elena presses a kiss to his neck, then on his cheek and finally a little peck on the lips. She gives him a megawatt smile before taking the phone and curling the other arm on his neck while he's left to use both hands to support her weight as she shifts to get more comfortable.

"Hi, Liz!" she squeals and Damon shakes himself from his stupor to keep walking to her room, a little dazed look on his eyes. When he's about to enter the room Elena tightens her legs around his hips and he stops on the threshold.

"Elena?" she giggles and swings her legs, forcing him to hold her tighter. "Why are you drunk?"

"Damon wouldn't let me out!"

"So you drank all his bourbon?" she sounds amused and he curses her silently. It isn't funny, dammit!

"Yes! Well, not all, just two bottles. He still has one left."

"Which it's not nearly enough…" Elena frowns at him.

"Shh, I'm on the phone!" at her childish voice he has to hide his grin. She's way too cute. "And then Care called and made me sad so Damon let me go outside. We played tag!" he cringes, that's going to make for a good batch of teasing. One month of perpetual embarrassment coming up!

"Oh really?!" Liz's barely controlled snickers come through the speaker and Damon groans. And so, it begins!

"Yeah! it was really fun! Damon is awesome!" she tenses the arm that's around his neck, bringing her head closer to his and she nuzzles his temple with her forehead before leaving a smacking kiss on his cheek.

"So… Elena, other than playing tag,–" chuckle "– are you ok? He's treating you alright?"

"Yes. He's taking good care of me. He cooks and hugs me when I have a nightmare and we watched Beauty and the Beast together! He says he didn't like it but I know he's lying." She whispers the last part, as if it would prevent Damon of hearing her.

"You know I can hear you, right?" he whispers too. She rears at him, an offended look en her face before pouting, her bottom lip poking out.

"This is a private conversation, Damon! You're not supposed to be listening!" she frowns, making her pouty face even more adorable.

"It's not like I can help it, you won't let go of me." He states. She looks affronted again before sticking her nose high in the are and huffing.

"Yeah, well, it's not my fault you're so comfy." He mentally groans. Now the embarrassment comes with sprinklers of humiliation!

"Elena…" she goes back to the phone when she hears Liz speak. "I'm happy I've been able to talk to you. I have to go now, but call when you want, ok?"

"Ok! Bye bye, Liz!" she gives the phone back to Damon and he hangs up. He walks to the bed and he throws himself in it, back to the mattress and Elena bouncing on his chest.

"Fuck, you're such a handful!" he crawls to the head of the bed and Elena holds on tight so as not to be dislodged from her comfortable position. He pauses to ask, "I'm not gonna get to my bed, am I?" and when all he gets is a headshake he crawls a little ways more before settling. "Ok, night."

"G'night." And with that she's snoring softly.

Damon sighs and runs his fingers through her hair, his eyes glued to the ceiling. He's happy she's warmed up to him and now considers him a friend, a protector of sorts –taking into account how she clings to him when his brother is mentioned–; but everytime she smiles at him, everytime she hugs him, everytime she nuzzles into his side he can't help but want more. Want her to kiss him, to love him like he loves her, for her to smile at him with that perfect smile of hers and think 'I love this man'.

He sighs again and tucks his nose in her hair. She smells so good, like jasmine and lavender with a touch sweet smell that makes her Elena. He tunes his hearing to her heartbeat and drowns all the other sounds out. It's slow in her slumber and he uses it as a lullaby.

He's asleep in minutes.


	7. Kiss me

"Mmm…" he moans and cuddles closer to the warmth at his side. He hears a distant giggle and something warm caresses his hair, sliding between his midnight locks and he makes a happy noise before nuzzling and settling again.

"You know... I would've never thought you'd be a cuddler." His eyes snap open and all he sees is milky skin. Her neck. He draws his head back before he does something he'll regret and finds her eyes, bright with her merriment.

"Yeah… ha-ha, let's mock the sleepy vampire." He uncoils his arms from her waist and stretches on his back, extending his arms to the sides. Elena just rolls with him and settles her head on his chest, an arm draped lazily over his stomach.

"Don't worry, it's actually really cute." He stares at her for a second, appalled.

"I am not cute!" she giggles and rises her arm to comb her fingers through his bangs. It's usually out of the way but with his hair being tousled from sleep and it need of a good cut, it's barely half inch from his eyebrows. And she loves it.

"You should leave your hair like this." He raises a brow. "I mean don't cut it. You look better like this." He thinks it over for a second before asking.

"Do I look cuter or hotter?" she snorts before giggling.

"Mix of both, I think. Depends on you." She smirks and ruffles his hair. "Right now you look adorable." With that she pecks him on the cheek and tries to get out of bed. Damon curls his arm around her waist and keeps her pressed to his chest. He let's the transformation take over and hisses at her.

"What about now?" she giggles and nuzzles her nose to his. She's grown quite fond of doing that and he can't help but find it endearing.

"Even cuter!"

"Are you still drunk or just being cheeky?" she grins at him and dips her head to kiss his nose.

He jerks away and her lips fall on his. They separate a second later and look at each other with wide eyes. Damon's eyes fall on her lips, rosy and slightly parted. When he returns his gaze to her eyes, he finds them locked on his lips. Damon raises his head a bit and bumps his nose on hers, leaving her enough time to pull away if she wishes to do so.

She doesn't.

Their lips brush shyly once, twice, before Damon takes the final step and seals them together. Elena makes a little sound and tilts her head a little bit to give him more access. His fingers tunnel into her hair, massaging her scalp and drawing another moan from her throat. It's not until she moves to straddle him and starts trailing kisses down his neck that he breaks out of his stupor.

"Elena… Elena, stop." He whines when she nips close to his jugular. Black veins threaten to appear and he breathes through his mouth, trying to ignore the pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Elena…"

Her hands rake down his abdomen, forcing a moan out of him and sliding into his shirt. His muscles quiver beneath her touch and she chuckles, the vibrations sending shivers down his spine. And when she grounds her hips into his, he loses it. His transformation takes over with a snap and he pins her to the bed. Damon hisses at her and shows Elena his fangs, his eyes glued to the rapidly pulsing vein on her neck.

"Damon…" his bloodshot eyes swing to hers. Her breathing is shallow, her cheeks flushed and her pupils dilated. She keeps her eyes locked on his as she stretches her neck and presents it to him.

Damon pounces a second later and doesn't waste time before his fangs sink into her flesh and he's drinking from her. He holds her to him, her thighs squeezing his hips. Her blood is warm and he relishes in it, drinking slowly to enjoy the high it's giving him. It's not until she moans a minute later that he comes to himself. With a muffled scream he jumps from her and slams onto the closet.

Elena presses a hand to her bleeding neck and looks at Damon. He's pale, her blood on his lips standing out like a sore thumb. His eyes are wide and terror stricken; his pupils still dilated from the high her blood has given him. She reaches out to him with her free hand and he recoils pressing himself so hard against the closet door that the wood creaks under the strain.

"Damon…" at her plead he swallows and licks his lips, only to shiver and claw at his mouth, as is trying to make her blood banish. It's pretty obvious he's not going to come near her, so she says the only thing that'll bring him back to her. "Damon, I'm dizzy…" she's not –he didn't take that much of her and the wound doesn't bleed much– but she know he'll approach her to cure her.

He doesn't disappoint. His eyes widen in alarm and he's crouched at her side in a second, he's bitten his wrist in the next and he's pressing the bite to her lips in the following one. She grips his arm and drinks greedily, her eyes locked on Damon's. When she's had enough, she drinks a little more to keep him with her and as her mouth separates from him, her arms fly and wrap around his neck. He jerks and tries to disentangle her but freezes when he feels her lips on his cheek.

Using his astonishment to her advantage, Elena sits up and adjusts her hold on Damon. She buries her left hand in his hair and wraps the right one across his back. She keeps her face pressed to his neck and tugs him to the bed, breaking him out of his daze.

"No… no, Elena, stop!" she can feel his muscles tensing, coiling under his skin and she acts without thinking. Moving her head away from his throat she uses the hand in his hair to guide him to her. He's too stunned to react as she presses her lips to his.

Damon gasps into her mouth and she moans, licking his lower lips and caressing his hair with a tender hand. He struggles for a second until she nibbles his lip. With a final breath the strain in his body evaporates and he starts to return her kiss.

They spend minutes like this, separating to breathe and uniting their lips again. And again, and again, and again. They don't stop until Elena breaks the connection and hides her face in his neck almost fifteen minutes later. Damon's breathing is shallow as he looks ahead. Somehow Elena had managed to get him in the bed without him knowing and now they were on their sides, facing each other and their bodies pressed together.

"E-Elena?" he tries to disentangle himself but Elena tightens her hold. "I… I'm–?"

"Don't… don't apologize…" she shakes her head, her lips brushing Damon's skin and making him suck in a breath. "Please, just stay with me. I wanted you to drink from me, you didn't force me to do anything and you didn't hurt me so don–"

" _Didn't_ hurt you?! I drank enough to make you dizzy! How is that not hurting?!" he hear her giggle against his neck. "What're laughing at?"

"You, you big dummy." She moves enough to look at him and pecks him on the lips before giving him and Eskimo kiss. "I lied. I knew it would bring you to me and it worked." nuzzling his jaw, she lays a kiss on the same spot and tucks her head under his, burrowing into his chest. "You always heal my wounds… you always pick me up when I'm getting down…" a funny thought strikes her and has her grinning. She looks up at him with a soft smile and finds him with his eyes already on her. "Out of all the things you've done, do you think you love me better now?" *****

Damon blinks at her and opens his mouth, only to close it again. What…?

"What?" Elena giggles at his confused voice.

"It's a song! _I'll pick you up when you're getting down, and out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_." He stares at her for a second and she tilts her head to the side like a confused kitten. He just shakes his head and chuckles. "So… are we ok now?" she's suddenly shy and she keeps her eyes averted and draws circles on his chest. Damon can't help but smirk.

"Yeah, we're ok." She looks up at him through her lashes and smiles.

"Good." She hesitates for a second before reaching up with both hands to size his face. She tugs him closer and kisses him sweetly, a little chaste kiss that Damon reciprocates instantly. When she finally breaks the connections, they're both grinning like idiots. "So… now that we're together…" she smiles coyly and caresses his jaw with her knuckles. "Can you make me breakfast?"

 ***- If anybody is wondering, the song is Lego House by Ed Sheeran. The perspective is changed to adapt it to the scene, though.**


	8. Home

Damon looks at Elena from the corner of his eye for the thousand time this morning. Since when 'we're ok' is synonym to 'we're dating'?! Not that he's complaining or anything, he's euphoric but also confused. _So_ confused.

"You want something with the pancakes?" he asks her, flipping one of the fluffy yummies out of the pan and onto the tower of a dozen or so pancakes.

"Do we have butter?" Damon answers with a 'nope' and she tsks. "Maple syrup?"

"Think so. Let me check." He leaves the plate in front of Elena and starts opening cabinets and drawers in search of the sticky goodness. "Aha!" he takes it and presents it to her with a flourish. She giggles as she opens it and pours some.

"Goof." She whispers, but he hears her anyway and flicks her in the forehead.

They stay in the table until Elena finishes her breakfast and he a blood bag. Then they move to the sofa; they play some board games –which Elena wins to all of them because Damon's too distracted with her smile– and then they settle to watch a movie, of Damon's choice this time.

"Deadpool?" Elena looks at him funny. He doesn't know if it's for the movie or for his exited face. "Never heard of it before. Sounds bloody. _Dead_ pool…" He stares at her for a total of five seconds before he covers his eyes with a hand and takes a couple of deep breaths.

"Ok. First of all, if you weren't who you are, you would be dead to me." She blinks at him and he sighs. "Second, bloody is a word too gentle to describe this movie." He smirks at her and presses play.

As the credits roll down, Damon looks at the body that's cuddled in his chest. She had rested her head on his shoulder five minutes into the movie and they had slowly maneuvered themselves into the position they were now: Damon stretched across the couch and Elena on top of him; her head on his chest and his arm around her waist. Her eyes are wide as she slowly cranes her head up to look at him. He raises a brow.

"Can we watch it again?"

He can't help it, he laughs.

|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|

"Damon?" he raises his head and looks at her, setting the knife aside and turning to face her as he sees the worried look on her face.

She fiddles with the hem of the button up she's wearing today –a black one– and he's instantly at her side. After spending nearly a month alone with her, he's picked up on all the unconscious movements she does depending on her mood and the fact that she's picking at her clothes is not a good sign. When the first thing she does when he's close enough is hug him, he knows he's right in his assumption.

"What's wrong?" he combs her hair with his fingers and she buries her face in his neck.

"We're going back in two days."

Ah… so that's what all this is about.

They –and 'they' actually means 'he'– had decided to go back in two days. Their food had ran out five days ago and Elena had been eating what game Damon was able to catch in the woods and he had finished his last blood bag this morning. She had said that he could drink from her and then heal her, but he shot her down. If her diet consisted only in meat she could get sick soon and he couldn't drink from her forever.

"I know you don't like it, 'Lena, but we have to go back someday." She whines but draws comfort in his embrace and the nickname. He'd come up with it one day that she'd been asking for another Disney movie and it had stuck. Now it was something that represented that everything was ok.

"Can't we go shopping for food? You said there was a town nearby."

"Yes, but that was when I still had blood to drink and now I don't. I can drink form you for a couple of days but that's not going to hold forever. And…" he hooks a finger beneath her chin so she's looking at him. "you can't hide forever. You have to face your fears or they'll overcome you." A shiver runs down her spine and her lips wobbles.

"But what if he–"

"Stefan won't do anything! Just because I can't solve all your problems doesn't mean you have to face them alone." He kisses her forehead before giving her a sweet and long kiss. "I'll be with you, ok? I won't leave your side." She takes a deep breath before nodding. "Good, we'll have to go shopping for something first, though."

|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|

The two days go by in a blur and sooner than Elena expected, they were already loading her duffle and his bags in the trunk of the Camaro. Damon had said they would be leaving in an hour, and that was an hour ago. That meant they were leaving. The house is locked, the key hidden; time to face the music.

"Elena." She looks up from her seat in the front steps. He's couched in front her, a little smile on his lips as he cups her cheek in his hand. "You're gonna be fine. I won't let him get near you, ok?" she breathes deep and holds it for a second before letting it go slowly. She nods and he helps her up before leading her to the car. "We have to make a couple of stops first, though." He winks when she shots him a suspicious glance.

"What are you planning, Salvatore?" he gives her an innocent smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry, you'll love it." That stated, he opens the door for her and waits until she's buckled to go to his own side and start the car.

A few minutes later they are out of the barrier and going down the snow free road. It had started to melt the same day they'd run out of food, and it had been a blessing and a curse for Elena. It was good because that meant she wouldn't starve, but it also meant that there wasn't a excuse to stay anymore, and that was bad. Her hands twitch in their place in her lap, desperately wishing Damon would take one and intertwine it with his but knowing he has to keep them on the wheel. However, her boyfriend sees the unconscious motion and takes her hand.

"Here, put it on top of mine." He settles his hand on the gearshift and she gives him a little smile when she lays hers lightly on his. He gives her one last look from the corner of his eye before turning completely to the road.

They keep talking, sometimes the chatter fading into a comfortable silence. Elena's hand stays on his all the way until they make a detour in Richmond to buy Elena some clothes –she'd been wearing sweats and one of his grey shirts– and a couple of other things he deems necessary before making their way to Mystic Falls.

When they finally arrive to Elena's House –she's not quite ready to go to the Boarding House yet– it's mid afternoon and they collapse in the couch as soon as they have their luggage inside.

"I was thinking…"

"Never a good sign." Retorts Damon, earning himself a light slap in the arm.

"I was thinking that if all this had coincided with my period, you would've been _so_ screwed." She giggle at his face, a look between realization and relief. That is, until he grins a little.

"Well, not as much as you think. I have feminine hygiene stored and I could've gone to buy some ice cream if you asked." She looks at him funny for a second.

"Why would you have tampons?"

"Well, you see… sometimes when I go there, instead of using blood bags I take somebody with me. And if it's a woman and there's an emergency better to be prepared." She frowns at him, clearly not pleased. "Won't do it again. Promised." He raises his pinkie and she groans.

"When are you going to forget about that?" she whines mortified, hiding her face in his chest.

"Never. And you told Liz I was comfy, so if I'm getting teased so are you." His arm sneaks around her waist and he presses a kiss to her forehead. "Wanna take a nap before I make dinner?" she looks at him and shakes her head.

"Nah, I would like to read a bit, if you don't mind. I'm kinda gonna ignore you, after all." She bites her lip and he frees it with his thumb.

"It's alright. I'll read something myself. Do you have The Call of the Wild?" she smiles, remembering that it's his favorite and nods.

They spend the rest of the afternoon in silence, Elena seated in the couch and Damon stretched on his back, his head nestled comfortably on Elena's lap. When it's time, Damon gets up and starts with dinner. Tonight they're having something simple, just grilled cheese and a salad. When Damon brings the plates and the bowl of salad Elena already has the table set.

"Wow…" mutters Elena after the first bite. "What did you put in this?" Damon smirks.

"It's a secret recipe of a friend I had. You know the witch that put the barrier?" She nods and takes another bite. "It was from her family." She looks up, alarmed.

"You stole it?!" she doesn't know what she expects as an answer, but his laughter sure wasn't.

"No, no, I didn't steal it. She gave it to me, we did an exchange of sorts. I gave her a Salvatore recipe and she gave me one of hers."

She nods and they finish eating. When they're done, they clean the kitchen and go upstairs to her room. They have some quality time together **(you know what I mean XD)** and they fall asleep in each other's arms; Elena on her side and Damon behind her, spooning her.

 **Ok, people, here you go. I'm sorry if somebody wanted lemon, but I'm not good at those. This is coming to an end, only one more chapter; maybe epilogue if you beg *** ** _evil laugh*._** **Hope you're liking it! Kisses!**


	9. Oh, shit

When wakes Elena the next morning she expects it to be to the loving kisses of her vampire boyfriend. However, it is to the incessant knocking on her front door. She groans as she disentangles herself from Damon and gets up, picks his shirt from the floor and goes to answer. She pauses on the doorway and gazes at Damon in all his naked glory. He looks so handsome when he's asleep, a different beauty to the sexiness he has when he's awake.

"Coming, coming…" she mutters while she does down the stairs. She combs her fingers through her hair to make it a bit more presentable and yawns before opening the door. She shivers when the cold wind touches her bare legs. And before she knows it, two freezing bodies envelop her. "Gah, let go!" she jumps and tries to scrabble away. It doesn't work so well. "Guys, you're freezing!"

"Oh, sorry." Mutters the first body, that's actually Bonnie beneath and insane amount of clothing. Caroline –AKA the second body– grumbles something under her breath before looking at Elena and narrowing her eyes.

"What are you wearing?" Elena cocks her head to the side and looks down at herself. She's wearing the shirt Damon had worn yesterday, a long-sleeved, black shirt that ended a couple of inches above her knees. Nothing odd about it, she'd been wearing them for almost a month.

"Umm… a shirt?" she shivers again and closes the door. What would she give to go back to bed with Damon…

"That's not yours…" says Bonnie and Elena has to refrain herself from rolling her eyes. It's too early for this.

"Well, duh." She turns and goes to the kitchen to prepare some coffee. She knows she's gonna need it. "I don't know why are you so confused about it, it's what I've been wearing for a month."

"You do realize we haven't seen you for a month, right?" she freezes at Caroline's statement. Shit, she's right.

"Oh, yeah… forgot about that."

"And you didn't call us." Adds Bonnie. Elena snorts.

"So you could trace the call? Not likely." Damon had said that the barriers wouldn't let that happen either, but she wouldn't tell them that. It was better this than 'I didn't want to talk to you'.

"Yet, you called my mother." Elena turns from the cups she's been filling – one black for Damon and one with cream and sugar for her– and looks at Caroline.

"I knew she wouldn't want to force me to come back, or guilt me into it." She glares at Caroline before turning once again. "You guys want coffee?"

"Wait, those aren't for us?" Bonnie points at the mugs.

"Nope. Help yourselves." She exits the kitchen and goes to her room, where Damon still sleeps. She sets the cups on her desk and climbs on the bed. She settles herself on her previous place between Damon's arms, only that now she's facing him. She caresses his cheek and combs through his bangs until he opens his eyes and regard her with a sleepy smile. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Morning." He mumbles before yawning and cuddling her to his chest only to stop. He backs a little and looks at her chest. "What the hell are you wearing?" Elena giggles and gives him a kiss.

"It's your shirt, dummy." Damon frowns and takes hold of the hem.

"Well, take it off." Elena grabs his hands.

"As much as I would love to cuddle with you in bed, we have guests." Damon groans at that and buries his face in her neck. "C'mon, if we stay here Caroline will come looking for us."

"Fine, but you owe me big time." With that he gets up and puts his boxers and pants. "My shirt." He turns to her and finds her in the process of taking it off. She's already put underwear and jeans, but she's completely topless when she gives him the shirt. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times and Elena raises a brow.

"What?" he shakes his head and puts the shirt on.

Meanwhile, down stairs, Caroline's freaking out.

"She's got a guy up there! She's cheating on Stefan! OMG!" she scream-whispers at Bonnie, who is looking at her with a bored look on her face as she sips on her coffee.

"She told us Stefan could go fuck himself. I'm pretty sure you don't say that type of thing if you're dating the guy. She must have dumped him." Caroline gasps at the careless comment.

"How can you say that?! They're perfect for each other!" she hears the pair talking upstairs and gasps in outrage. "He just told her he loves her!" she listens and gasps again. "And she said it back! He must be a vampire! He compelled her! Stefan said she left her necklace, she doesn't have any vervain on her! Who the hell is he?!" Bonnie blinks at her and resists the urge to smack her friend. Could she be more dense?

"Look, Caroline, I know you don't want to hear this… –" Bonnie's voice fades as she concentrates on Elena's and the boy's.

"–lace on, right?"

"Yes, I didn't take it off. Stop worrying, I've had one before, this is the same but prettier." Both chuckle.

"C'mon, put the set on. It looks amazing on you. Here, let me."

"Thank you. I still think you shouldn't have bought it. It's so expensive."

"Not that expensive, and you were practically salivating over it. It's a small price to pay if I can see that little smile you get when…. yeah, that one!" Elena giggles and then a little smacking noise.

"You're so cute when you go all Romeo." The boy chuckles and Elena giggles again.

" _But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Elena is the Sun._ " another shared laugh and silence for a minute before Elena speaks again.

" That's so romantic! You know it by heart?"

"Yeah, all Romeo's lines. Mother made me study it. Let's go, I'm pretty sure Blondie doesn't want to hear me reciting you Romeo's most famous quotes." When the door opens, Caroline snaps out of her trance and looks at Bonnie, who is glaring at her.

"What?"

"Were you even listening to me?" questions Bonnie and she shakes her head.

"Well, then you're in for a big surprise." Both look up and Caroline shrieks. Damon and Elena stand in the doorway, his arm across her shoulders and hers around his waist. In their free hands they hold their cups of coffee. "What's up, Barbie? Still thinking I compelled her to love me?"

"She didn't have her vervain necklace, so you _could_ have." Grumbles Bonnie, but they all hear her. Damon chuckles.

"Well, I _did_ compel her –" both girls gasp "– but not for that. Even I'm not that desperate, y'know." He sips his coffee and guides Elena to the couch, where they sit close together –much to Caroline's disgust–.

"Why aren't you saying anything?! He just said he compelled you!" Caroline screams.

"I already knew." Both girls gape at her. "What? I was having a panic attack and he calmed me down. There's nothing wrong about that, right? And the second time…"

"You woke me at two in the morning." He's joking, but Elena glares at him.

"I had a nightmare! It's not my fault!"

Remembering the dark place she'd been, Stefan's maniacal laugh resounding around her makes her shiver and tighten her grip on her cup. She feels Damon's arms surround her and take the coffee from her and she clings to him instead, her hands fisting his shirt and her head pillowed in his chest. He drapes her legs across his lap and she curls into him.

"I know it wasn't your fault, I was just joking." He kisses her hair and she nuzzles her forehead against his neck, trying to get rid of the feeling of impotency and terror. "He can't hurt you, Elena. You're safe." She shivers again and he rubs her arm.

"What are you guys talking about? Did something happen when you were away?" Elena can feel Damon tense up at Caroline's words and grips him harder, both to save her friend and to keep Damon to her; she's not ready to relinquish his warmth yet. The next thing she hears is Damon's mirthless chuckle.

"The fucker didn't tell you, did he?" both girls look at him confused and he growls. " _Stefan_ attacked her." Caroline jumps up.

"That's impossible! Stefan wouldn't do that, he loves Elena!" this time, is Damon the one that has to hold on Elena when the girl jumps up glaring daggers at her friend.

"Oh, so the beating he gave me was all my imagination?! All the cuts and bruises and threats and that laugh were all in my head?!" Elena's eyes filled and overflowed and Damon saw regret in the blonde's eyes before it was covered by determination.

"How do you know Damon didn't compel you to remember that? Stefan said–" Elena saw red.

"Stefan, Stefan, Stefan! Is that all you can say? What were you going to say, huh? That I left the necklace? Why would I do that, Care? _He_ ripped it from my neck." Caroline frowns and before any of them can blink, she has Bonnie knocked out and she's twisted Damon's neck. Elena jumps away from her. "What the hell, Caroline?!"

"Sorry, Elena. But there was no way they would have let him near you." Elena gasps and starts to back away. "You can come in now." The front door bursts open and there he is.

"No, get out of my house!" she presses herself in the corner farthest from both vampires. She's shaking all over, remembering the sting of every cut; the ache of every bruise and with every step Stefan takes into her house it gets stronger.

"You have five minutes till Damon wakes up. More or less. Break the compulsion, I want my friend back."

Stefan nods and Elena realizes he tricked Caroline. He told her that Damon compelled her and it makes her blood boil in her veins. She chances a look at her boyfriend sprawled on the couch, his blue eyes open and looking in her general direction. Five minutes. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm her shaking limbs. She'll hold up for five minutes, and then she curl up in Damon's lap.

He's been her rock for the past month. It's time to stand by herself.

 **Hi, guys! I kinda miscalculated and there's gonna be another chapter (I'm good at maths, ain't I? XD). If I don't mess up again, the next chapter is gonna be the last. Nobody asked for epilogue so there won't be any. Kisses and till next time!**


	10. For the rest of my life

Her back pressed to the wall, Elena tries to hide her trembling limbs. She has to keep strong. Five minutes. Five minutes and all this will be over. She'll curl up in Damon's embrace for the rest of the day and he'll whisper sweet nothings to reassure her that he's with her, that nothing can harm her from the safety of his arms.

Stefan approaches step-by-step, a little smug smirk plying with his lips. He thinks it's seductive. She thinks it's disgusting. He doesn't stop until he's a mere foot away from her. It's then when he sees a sparkle of blue flash on her ears when she moves her head.

"What's that?" Elena frowns before touching her ears.

"It's a set Damon bought for me." The blue gems twinkle and she raises her left hand –showing the ring and bracelet–, taking the necklace that completes the set. He vaguely registers that there's another chain around her neck, but he ignores it and concentrates on the blue stones that decorate every piece of jewelry.

Stefan narrows his eyes, the color is vaguely familiar. Doesn't matter, he'll have it off her and burning in the fire pit in a minute. Caging he girl between his arms, his pupils expand and when her eyes lock on his, he know he already has her back. He'll make her forget his outburst, the time she's spend with Damon and that she loves his brother. He's so caught in patting his own back for being so smart **(Do you feel the sarcasm seeping through your screens? Good)** that he fails to notice when her pupils don't expand to mirror his.

"You're gonna forget it all. You don't love Damon, you love me. I never hit you, I never cut you and I never ripped the necklace off your neck. You are gonna forget all that happened in the Boarding House and your time with Damon."

He hears a gasp from Caroline, who has likely figured he tricked her, but it's too late now. Or so he thinks. Before he knows what's happening, Elena is glaring at him and she punches him on the nose, breaking it and leaving it crooked until he rights it.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? Did you really expect that I would be so foolish as to not to get a new vervain necklace? That your _brother_ wouldn't think of it if I hadn't?" she laughs mirthlessly as she picks the second chain and shows him the silver heart locket. The next thing she does is smirk. "Time's over."

He doesn't even have the time to think 'oh, fuck' before the familiar sting of his neck braking takes him into oblivion.

Damon is left standing over the crumbled form of his brother. He's panting, the exertion of waking up with a start instead of slowly ascending into consciousness taking its toll on him. He gets his bearing in the next second and is prepared when the shivering mass that's his girlfriend slams into him. She clings to him like a koala, her legs around his waist and her arms curled round his neck. When he's sure she's not going to start with the water works –at least not yet– he turns to the blonde standing by the unconscious witch.

"Take him out of the house, Blondie, and I don't wanna see you or him for a while, so better find a way to make him stay away from Elena." When she makes to grab Bonnie, Damon stops her. "I'll put her in the kids room. Just take the asshole and go."

He takes Elena to her room and lays her on the bed, promising to be back shortly. He goes back down to retrieve Bonnie and is satisfied to see that both his brother and Caroline are already gone. Making sure she's comfortable before leaving her to rest, Damon returns to Elena. She's exactly where he left her and gazes longingly at him before extending her arms and making grabby hands. He chuckles and stretches beside her. When both are snuggled into one another, Elena sighs relaxed and presses a kiss to his neck.

"How does cuddling all morning and then I cook something sound to you? I don't think Bon will wake 'till lunch time, anyway."

"Sounds good to me." Murmurs Elena, already prepared to spend the next couple of hours cuddled to Damon's side and do _nothing_.

They stay in the same position until Damon can hear Bonnie start to wake and while Elena goes to see her, he goes to the kitchen and looks around the cabinets. There's not much, but he can make a homemade pizza with what he finds. The dough expires next week, so it's still edible. He turns on the oven and extends the dough and puts a generous amount of tomato sauce. As he grates the four kinds of cheese he's found in the fridge, he listens to Elena explain to her friend what happened after Caroline had knocked her out. He smiles when, after reassuring herself that Bonnie only has a lump that he can cure later with a drop of blood, Elena starts explaining to Bonnie all they've done in their month away. When the witch asks for the necklace and the set of jewelry, Elena explains that before coming back, they had made a stop in Richmond.

"Damon took me to his jewelry store and told me to choose a locket." Says Elena and Bonnie makes a sound of understanding.

"And the set?"

"Oh, that… Damon saw me looking at it and insisted on buying it I told him it wasn't necessary but…" Bonnie hums. "What?"

"That's a very… peculiar color." He can almost feel the smugness that the witch is feeling.

"Eh… yeah."

There's a tense silence and he uses it to rummage in the fridge for more topping. He finds half roll of pepperoni and moldy ham. He throws the ham with a grimace and raids the cabinets again. He comes out victorious with a can of presserved mushrooms and another of olives.

"Ok, ok! Stop looking at me like that! It reminded me of his eye, ok?! I don't want him to know 'cause he'll tease me into next week so I'm swearing you to secrecy."

 _Too late, princess, I already know._

"I won't say a word."

They talk for a few more minutes and he drowns them out to concentrate in finishing the pizza. Satisfied with the result, he sticks his hand in the oven to test if it's hot enough and slides the pizza in one of the plates just as Bonnie and Elena walk through the door.

"What are we eating?" asks Elena, looking around to see if there's some clue. There isn't any, he already cleared it all up.

"Wait, you can cook?" Bonnie looks incredulous.

"I'm a one hundred seventy-two year old vampire of Italian descent, what do you think?" he stares at her with a deadpan look until she looks away.

"Damon, don't be mean." Elena looks in the oven and squeals. "Pizza! Yay!" she bounces on her toes and gives him a peck on the lips before waltzing away to set the table. She doesn't notice the dopey smile Damon has and by the time she turns again it's gone, hidden behind his usual sexy smirk.

When the pizza is ready, they eat and then Damon waits for Bonnie to leave to have his own launch from Elena. He's afraid he's taken too much when he sees her pale skin, but it's nothing a few drops of blood won't solve. They spend the afternoon finishing the books they had started the evening before, only that this time Elena had her head on Damon's lap, while he stayed seated. When it's time, he prepares a simple salad and after doing their nightly rituals, they cuddle in Elena's bed.

And as both fall asleep, tangled in each other, only one though crosses their minds…

 _I want to fall asleep like this for the rest of my life._

 **It's over… *snif, snif*. Well, I had a good time and I hope you all did too. I'm sorry this chapter took longer than usual, I got a stroke of inspiration for the epilogue –yes, I'm doing it, even if just a couple of persons asked. You guys are lucky that one of them was Deepwater1978, if it weren't for her you wouldn't have it; so a big applause for her– and I was kinda afraid that it would go away so I wrote it.**

 **It's a bit long, five pages and some (2074 words). It's set … years after the show's finale. All the same in the following seasons (except when they get together) but strained between Delena and Stefan. Caroline forgives him –as always, good ol' Stefan never does anything wrong– so everything normal between them. This is a little synopsis for the epilogue so you don't get lost.**

 **It's already finished, but I'm gonna wait a bit, most likely Thursday, but maybe till Friday… I don't know… (yes, I know I'm evil XD).**

 **I've created a Tumblr account so I can give you guys a visual support when A) my descriptive abilities fail me, and B) when I feel to lazy to describe; that is if the object I'm describing actually exists XD. The username is the same (Rachel3003), so feel free to check it out.**

 **I have a crossover with Delena as a main character so if anybody want's to check it out I would like to know what you think of it. The chapter where they are the main attraction isn't up yet but almost. Just wait, you're gonna love it!**

 **Kisses, lovers, and thank you all!**


	11. Epilogue

_Dear Amore,_

 _Recently, your mother and I were searching for an answer on Google. Halfway through entering the question, Google returned a list of the most popular searches in the world. Perched at the top of the list was "How to keep him interested."_

 _It startled me. I scanned several of the countless articles about how to be sexy and sexual, when to bring him a beer versus a sandwich, and the ways to make him feel smart and superior._

 _And I got_ _angry_ _._

 ** _Baby Girl, it_** _ **is**_ **** ** _not, has never_** _ **been**_ ** _, and never_** _ **will**_ **** ** _be your job to "keep him interested."_**

 _Baby Girl, your only task is to know deeply in your soul — in that unshakeable place that isn't rattled by rejection and loss and ego — that you are_ _worthy_ _of interest. (If you can remember that everyone_ _else_ _is worthy of interest also, the battle of your life will be mostly won. But that is a letter for another day.)_

 _If you can trust your worth in this way, you will be attractive in the most important sense of the word: you will attract a boy who is both_ _capable_ _of interest and who wants to spend his one life investing all of his interest in_ _you_ _._

 ** _Baby Girl, I want to tell you about the boy who doesn't need to be_** _ **kept**_ **** ** _interested, because he knows you are_** _ **interesting**_ ** _:_**

 _I don't care if he puts his elbows on the dinner table — as long as he puts his eyes on the way your nose scrunches when you smile. And then can't stop looking._

 _I don't care if he can't play a bit of baseball with me — as long as he can play with the children you give him and revel in all the glorious and frustrating ways they are just like you._

 _I don't care if he doesn't follow his wallet — as long as he follows his_ _heart_ _and it always leads him back to you._

 _I don't care if he is strong — as long as he gives you the space to exercise the strength that is in your_ _heart_ _._

 _I couldn't care less how he votes — as long as he wakes up every morning and daily elects you to a place of honor in your home and a place of reverence in_ _his_ _heart._

 _I don't care about the color of his skin — as long as he paints the canvas of your lives with brushstrokes of patience, and sacrifice, and vulnerability, and tenderness._

 _I don't care if he was raised in_ _this_ _religion or_ _that_ _religion or_ _no_ _religion — as long as he was raised to value the sacred and to know every moment of life, and every moment of life with you, is_ _deeply_ _sacred._

 _In the end, Baby Girl, if you stumble across a man like that and he and I have nothing in common, we will have the most important thing in common:_

 _You_ _._

 ** _Because in the end, Baby Girl, the only thing you should have to do to "keep him interested" is to be you._**

 _Your eternally interested guy,_

 _Daddy_

Eyes wide, Alexis lowers the letter to the floor. She can hear her parents talking downstairs, the sounds of battle of her brother's _PlayStation_ and the excited babble of the twins –who are probably making a mess of the kitchen again in their Food War XXI–. She swallows again and looks at the piece of paper lying a couple of inches from her.

 ** _The only thing you should have to do to "keep him interested" is to be you._**

 **She'd seen her father writing the letter a couple of weeks ago. He had sealed it and written her name on it, right above the words** ** _open when you're about to marry_** **. She suspects he didn't intend for her to see it so soon –she's sixteen after all– but he hadn't know she was looking when he'd hidden the envelope in the bottom of her mothers jewelry box. Her mother had told her that it would be her eighteenth birthday present, given that she'd wanted it for as long as she could remember.**

 **The curiosity had grown to be unbearable and the other evening she'd sneaked in, in the short lapse of time between her arrival to the house and her mother's to see what it was about. Unfortunately, her lil' bro had decided to cut his outing with his friends short, so she'd had to wait till today, when it was usual for her to wake up later.**

Either way, she hadn't been expecting _this_. With trembling fingers, she folds it and slips it into the envelope again. She debates between putting it back where she found it and taking it with her. It _is_ for her –a future her, but her nonetheless–, so she doesn't really know what to do. Finally, she decides to put it back for the time being. She can always take it out when nobody is watching. Leaving it all just how it was before her arrival, Alexis muses her hair to give it a more sleepy look and descends the stairs on silent feet.

The first thing she sees, is her brother sprawled on the couch in his boxers, headphones over his ears and light-brown eyes glued to the screen. His black hair is sticking in every way and she can even see a trace of dried drool on his chin. Not a pretty sight, but one she has the privilege of admiring every weekend. He pauses the game for a moment to scratch his groin before returning to the battlefield. She shudders, _disgusting_. However, when she passes by him, he dutifully raises his fist – his _other_ fist– so she can bump her own on it.

"Mornin', Lex."

"Morning, Zach."

And with that, she continues to the kitchen. There's a blob of _something_ on the threshold and she grimaces. She should've put on some shoes. Retreating to the living room, she snatches her brother's _Deadpool_ sneakers and enters a whole different battlefield.

" 'Exi!" both toddlers scream the second they see her. She can't help but grin. They're too cute. Without looking at her parents –they are in their own little world, anyway–, she snags a washcloth from the clean basket and cleans first one, then two tiny faces of oatmeal and egg and who knows what else.

"You two are a mess…" she mutters under her breath. When she's done cleaning their hands as well, she drops the cloth on the sink to rinse later. "Ok, Earthquake," she points to the blue-eyed, brown-haired troublemaker that's sitting innocently on her high chair. "you are gonna finish eating that oatmeal so I can take you to the park." The child grins from ear to ear and starts shoveling spoonful after spoonful into her mouth. Meanwhile, she turns to the brown-eyed, black-haired of the pair. "And you, Hurricane, are coming with me to convince Zach to come with us."

She giggles and extends her pudgy arms towards her. Alexis pushes the little table aside and takes the oilskin-like bib of her. She picks her sister up and is almost at the door when she hears an _ahem!_

"Not even a kiss, young lady?"

"You know the rules, Lexi." She rolls her eyes playfully and turns to her parents with a sheepish grin.

They are both reclining on the counter, her father's arm resting comfortably across her mother's shoulders. She can see her arm disappearing behind his back, but the hand doesn't appear, which means it's tucked in the back pocket of the jeans he's wearing. She approaches and presses her lips first to her mother's cheek and then to her father's, lingering a second more than necessary.

 _Thank you, Daddy._

With that, she moves to the couch again and drops the baby bomb of giggles and black hair on her brother. He sputters a bit, the control falling from his hands. A second later the screen turns reddish and a chart with numbers appears. The words _YOU ARE DEAD_ flashing above it.

" 'Ach! 'Ach!" she pats at his face and it's a good five minutes before he can tear the baby hands away and sit her on his lap.

"Oh, c'mon, guys! I almost finished the mission!" he turns the baby and points to the screen. "And now I'm dead!" Alexis facepalms. Her little sister blinks at the TV and then at her brother. She pats his chest and then frowns at him.

"You no dead! 'Ach ok!" she plays mental Ping-Pong between her big brother and the TV, a little frown marring her face until Alexis picks her up.

"Whatever, Zach. That means you can come with us to the park. Go get dressed." He glares but obeys, he actually loves going to the park and playing with the twins. "And for God's sake, put on some clean underwear!"

"Yes, _Mother_!" his screamed reply makes them both giggle. She goes back to the kitchen and gives the baby to her mother while she has her breakfast and her father dresses Earthquake. There are still clothes on the basket in need to be put away.

"You sure you can take care of them for the morning, sweetie? We could take them to Car–"

"We'll be fine, mom. Don't worry. I had planed to stay all day in bed, anyways." She finishes and puts the dishes on the sink. "I'll clean all this when we get back. Hopefully Zach will help me."

"Nonsense. You go and try to get your brother away from the phone. We'll tidy up in here. You're already doing us a big favor. We'll have Chicken Parma for lunch." Alexis grins from ear to ear and utters a victorious 'Yes!' under her breath.

"C'mon, Lex! We ain't got all day!" says her brother before entering the kitchen and advancing to their father. "Hey, Jen!" he ruffles her hair and takes her in his arms. Alexis takes the other twin –now dresses– from her mother and both drop kisses on their parents before exiting the house.

"Jenna, Lizzy, come back here! We're not even out of the property yet and you are already running off?!" the exasperated voice of their oldest can be heard from the kitchen and both laugh.

"You know… when you told me let's have one more I really wasn't expecting two tornados to burst into our lives." She says laughing and both start to straighten the kitchen.

"I would say let's try for a boy next, but seeing how things go we're gonna end up with triplets." He smirks and his wife laughs again.

When the dishes are rinsed and put in the dishwasher, the floor mopped and the table cleared, they clasp their hands and exit the house, waking the parked blue Camaro waiting in the driveway.

Ten minutes later, as they drive to their destination, they pass the park their four children are currently in. They are in the swings, the twins sharing one –as the other one is occupied by another toddler– meanwhile Alexis and Zachary push them, one at each side.

"Damon?" he turns to her when they stop at the red light by the park and sees her gazing at their kids before she looks at him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Elena."

He sweeps down and kisses.

 **And they lived happily ever after with their four kids. Elena is a pediatrician in a clinic she opened with her BBF of collage and Damon has a super amazing bar/restaurant with Alaric. Cool, huh?**

 **Alexis is sixteen, Zachary is thirteen and Jenna and Elizabeth are two, just saying for whomever was wandering. I named them after my favorite characters. Favorite after Delena, of course.**

 **Zach was a last minute change, I was gonna name him Alaric but then I remembered he was actually alive in the end and I sure as** ** _hell_** **wasn't gonna name him Stefan. I though about Enzo, but I much prefer** ** _Zachary_** **to** ** _Lorenzo_** **. Here in Spain –or at least in the part I live in– Lorenzo is a name typical to what we call '** ** _cani',_** **or '** ** _choni'_** **for females. Just Google it and you'll get what I'm talking about.**

 **The letter is not from my dad, but from another man that wrote it to his 5 year old daughter (I think), and I'll post it in my Tumblr account. I have changed it a bit, just a couple of words so as not to completely plagiarize the guy that wrote it.**

 **I'm afraid that's it. Thank you all for your support and another big applause to Deepwater1978 for encouraging me. Another big applause for all of you: Salvatoreboys4ever, scarlett2112, Elena Salvator-Gilbert, Delenalu, the different Guests and all those who don't review but still read. And the people I haven't mentioned too; sorry for that, but I had a little problem with my email account and all the emails I had received within the period of ten days were erased. So, if I haven't mentioned you but you reviewed, know that I haven't forgotten you, it's just that I don't know whom you are because I can look at the emails.**

 **Kisses, lovers, and 'till next time!**


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